Chapter 181 Astapor

Chapter 179 Astapor

This was the first time that Bono had traveled at high speed in a way other than non-stop.

At this time and place, as the most noble guest on this large flat-bottomed ship called the Sea Serpent, although he had his own cabin, he still felt quite uneasy.

In the small and dark confined space, he could not see anything. The hammock under him kept swinging back and forth, making him unable to tell whether he was asleep or awake. It seemed that he was in a dream of half floating and half flying. This dreamlike feeling made the Dothraki completely unable to make judgments, as if he was drunk.

Until he vaguely felt people walking around in a hurry and Salador was giving orders, he woke up completely,

"Quick! Faster, rush over!"

The rapid swinging sound of the oars turned into a threatening sound that was pressing step by step. Bono shook his head and listened attentively. The shouts from the deck drove away his last trace of sleepiness.

He quickly turned over and rolled off the hammock, but his body was a little weak. He staggered a few steps and fell to the ground. He struggled to climb the steps and pushed open the hatch.

The sun suddenly jumped out in front of him like a naughty child, and the brilliant golden light immediately pierced his eyes.

When the world under the dawn slowly changed from gray to dazzling white, he saw the white-bottomed yellow-patterned "Harpy" flag fluttering in the morning breeze before he could scream. The clear horn sound also drifted over with the breeze, mixed with chaotic shouts.

Bono pulled the hatch door with brute force and stood firm. He looked forward and saw a large number of black ships sailing on the sparkling river, with white sails fluttering in the wind and an astonishing number of oars stirring up surging water.

This horrific scene shook the confidence of the crew on the Sea Serpent, and they cried out in despair:

"We can't get through, the galleons! The Yunkai galleons must be coming!"

"Astapor has fallen!"

"They are ready to attack us now!"

As more and more ships appeared in front, the huge gap in number and size caused the panicked crew to collapse and run around. Some people kept shaking the alarm bells, while others issued retreat orders without authorization.

"Go back! Go back, go back quickly before being surrounded!"

At this moment, Salador Saan stood up. He thought carefully about the situation in front of him, ordered the horn to be blown, and all the crew members gathered around him. He raised his scimitar, pointed at the black giant ships, and laughed:

"You poor, stupid, blind fools, do you really need me to remind you word by word? Look, their clumsy and fat hulls are going upstream, and their speed is as slow as a snail."

"Okay, idiots, do you want to live? Then take your positions, slide your oars hard, and let us turn to the shore."

Under his calm and majestic command, the crew members calmed down and ran quickly to their respective positions.

These black sailing ships also have oars, even more than those of rowing boats and flat-bottomed boats, so they can sail smoothly on the river.

But they are designed for long-distance voyages across the ocean. In order to have enough space to store supplies, sail to farther places, trade and transport supplies, they are usually huge and mainly driven by sails.

When the wind is right, they are faster than any oared boat, but they are not easy to control. Compared with the flexible flat-bottomed boats, they seem to be a little powerless or even helpless in a breeze or against the current.

The fact is just as Salador Saan judged. In Bono's eyes, they may be able to dance on the deck and escape, because those black giant ships did not make any pursuit after seeing them turn.

In this way, they abandoned the "Sea Serpent" and walked east along the south bank of the Worm River. There were no other accidents along the way. They arrived outside the city of Astapor at sunset and watched the Yunkai army retreating from the city wall in a panic.

——

Astapor is an ancient city, a place full of battles and blood, with a unique geographical location since the creation of the world.

To its east is the endless sea, to its north is the winding Worm River, and to its south is the towering Ghiskari Mountains that reach the sky. The foot of the mountains stretches out, completely covering the entire south in a dark shadow.

Moreover, it is surrounded by a strong and ancient wall that is difficult to attack, and all the buildings are made of hard red bricks.

There is always a fine red dust in the air. When the breeze blows, the dust flies along the ancient wall around the city, forming a fog as deep as the sea.

In a trance, people will think that this is a wonder carved out of the mountains by the giants. As long as there is a soldier in the city, even thousands of troops cannot capture it.

Bono stood on a high place, amazed and admired the wonders in front of him. Under the setting sun, the city wall slowly changed from red to dazzling gold, and the whole city was bathed in brilliant golden light.

Time passed quickly, and when the sun fell into the western sea and the first twilight touched the highest stepped pyramid in the city, lights of various colors suddenly lit up, and the whole city seemed to be in a river of lights again.

This scene made him feel a little awe, and more desire, which was much stronger and more brilliant than what he had seen in the city.

At that time, what he saw was a declining city of doom. All the buildings were empty, and there was a dead silence. There were no footsteps echoing in the streets, and no laughter dotted the magnificent arena, which made him feel quite disappointed. .

Soon, night fell completely. Bono overlooked the huge stone city and the great pyramid that reached four hundred feet into the sky. The greed in his eyes could hardly be concealed. He slowly turned sideways and looked at the person next to him. Salado and Haynes asked:

"Now, the Yunkai coalition forces have surrounded Astapor, and the city walls are also heavily guarded. How should we enter the city?"

Haines remained silent and did not answer. He walked straight towards the city below the mountain without looking back. Salladhor Sang leaned into his ear and whispered respectfully:

"Mr. Bono, from now on, you have to be careful about your words and deeds! The priest George was originally a kind and good man, the butcher Cleon was a stupid fool, and the Green Saint of the Holy Grace Temple is completely different from them. She She is proud, deep, and has great authority. The only difference is that she does not have the title of king. "

"Wait a minute, the Green Saint will send someone to take us into the city, and we will deal with it then. Unless you have no other choice, you'd better not reveal your identity as a Dothraki, and don't say things you shouldn't say."

"Green Saint?" Although Bono was confused, he firmly remembered Salado's instructions and did not continue to question him.

In fact, he also has some knowledge of the Temple of Holy Grace, because this is the ancient Ghistian religion commonly worshiped by the Gith of Slaver's Bay.

There are some saints living in the temple. Saints with different identities wear robes of different colors to show their distinction. The green saint serves as the highest priestess and religious leader. The blue saint is a healer. Young girls of noble birth will become white saints. In addition to the saints, there are red saints, golden saints, purple saints, etc.

They are part of Astapor's power, and their status is more stable. Even if Cleon the Butcher kills the nobles and slave owners in the city and clears out the rebel army council, they still need to rely on the revelations from the Temple of Holy Grace to maintain morale and peace. rule.